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Wachter, Eberhard - Painter, born at Stuttgart, (1762-1852)Wakash Indians - A linguistic family inhabiting the western coast of British Columbia, and the west and northwest of Vancouver Island, as well as a small region around Cape Flattery, WashingtonWalburga, Saint - Fairly lengthy biographical article on this abbess of a double monastery, and author, who died in 777Waldenses - An heretical sect which appeared in the second half of the twelfth centuryWaldseemüller, Martin - Learned humanist and celebrated cartographer. A canon of St-Die in Lorraine (1475-1522)Wales - Located in the western portion of Great BritainWalla-Walla Indians - A Shahaptian tribe dwelling on the Walla-Walla River and the Columbia in Washington and Oregon, from Snake River to the UmatillaWaltham Abbey - Formerly located near LondonWar - In its juridical sense, a contention carried on by force of arms between sovereign states, or communities having in this regard the right of statesWard, Margaret, Saint - English martyr, died at Tyburn in 1588Ward, Mary - Founded the Institute of the Blessed Virgin MaryWard, William George - English writer and convert (1812-1882)Washing of Feet and Hands - Owing to the general use of sandals in Eastern countries the washing of the feet was almost everywhere recognized from the earliest times as a duty of courtesy to be shown to guestsWater, Holy - In the earliest Christian times, water was used for expiatory and purificatory purposes, to a way analogous to its employment under the Jewish LawWater, Holy, Fonts - Vessels intended for the use of holy waterWater, Liturgical Use of - Besides the holy water which is used in rites of blessing, and the water employed in the washing of feet and hands, and in the baptismal font, water has its recognized place in the ritual of every MassWatteau, Jean Antoine - Artist's biography with bibliographyWay of the Cross - Historical background on this devotionWay or State - Stages in the spiritual lifeWealth, Use of - The term 'wealth' is not used here in the technical sense in which it occurs in treatises on economic subjectsWeber, Karl Maria Friedrich Ernst von - Composer (1786-1826)Week, Liturgical - The week was regarded as a sacred institution among the Jews owing to the law of the Sabbath rest and its association with the first chapter of GenesisWeissenau, Monastery of - Suppressed Premonstratensian house in WuertembergWeld - Name of a prominent English Catholic familyWells in Scripture - It is difficult to realize the importance which a country like Palestine attaches to any source of fresh waterWelsh Church - The term Welsh Church covers 'the British Church during the Roman period', 'the British Church during the period of Saxon Conquest', and 'the Church of Wales'Welsh Monastic Foundations - The British church was driven into Wales in the fifth centuryWenceslaus, Saint - The patron saint of Bohemia, murdered by his brother c. 929Werburgh, Saint - Benedictine abbess, died 699 or 700. Biographical articleWessobrunn - Suppressed Benedictine abbey in BavariaWest Syrian Rite - The rite used by the Jacobite sect in Syria and by the Catholic Syrians is in its origin simply the old rite of Antioch in the Syriac languageWestern Schism - Only a temporary misunderstanding, even though it compelled the Church for forty years to seek its true head; it was fed by politics and passions, and was terminated by the assembling of the councils of Pisa and ConstanceWestminster Abbey - This most famous of all English abbeys is situated within the precincts of the Royal Palace of WestminsterWestphalia - Province of PrussiaWhitaker, Venerable Thomas - Brief biography of this Lancashire priest, martyred in 1646Whitby, Synod of - A conference at the monastery of St. Hilda at Whitby or Streanoeshalch. King Oswy with Bishops Colman and Chad represented the Celtic tradition; Alchfrid, son of Oswy, and Bishops Wilfrid and Agilbert that of RomeWhite, Richard, Venerable - Real name, Richard Gwyn. Welsh schoolmaster, husband and father, had a reputation as a scholar, poet, martyred in 1584White, Robert - English composer (1530-1574)White Fathers - Missionaries of Our Lady of Africa of AlgeriaWhitsunday - A feast which commemorates the Descent of the Holy Ghost upon the Apostles, fifty days after the Resurrection of ChristWichita Indians - A confederacy of Caddoan stock, formerly dwelling between the Arkansas River, Kansas, and the Brazos River, TexasWidow - Canonical prescriptions concerning widows in the Old Testament refer mainly to the question of remarriageWidukind - Saxon leader, and one of the heads of the Westphalian nobilityWigbert, Saint - English-born companion of St. Boniface. Wigbert was abbot of Hersfeld and, for a time, of Ohrdruf. He died in about 746Wilfrid, Saint - Biographical article on this abbot and bishop, who died in 709Wilhelm of Herle - Painter, born at Herle in Dutch Limburg at an unknown date in the fourteenth centuryWill - This article discusses will in its psychological aspectWill and Testament of Clerics - Roman law allowed clerics to dispose of their property by will or otherwiseWill, Free - The question of free will, moral liberty, or the liberum arbitrium of the Schoolmen, ranks amongst the three or four most important philosophical problems of all timeWillaert, Adrian - Biography of the composer (1480-1562)William, Saint - Biographical article on William Fitzherbert, also called William of Thwayt. Twelfth-century Archbishop of YorkWilliam Carter, Venerable - English printer, martyred in 1584William Filby, Blessed - English priest, martyred in 1582. Article also has details on Bl. Laurence Richardson and St. Luke Kirby, his companions in martyrdomWilliam Lacy, Blessed - English widower, became a priest. He was martyred at York in 1582William of Gellone, Saint - Late eighth century. The second count of Toulouse, founded a Benedictine monastery, then became a monk himselfWilliam of Norwich, Saint - William's corpse was found showing signs of a violent death. He is the earliest example of a medieval blood libel saint, having died in 1144. His biographer relied on hearsay, and was 'a man of unlimited credulity.'William of Ockham - Biographical article on the fourteenth-century Franciscan philosopherWilliam of Perth, Saint - Honored as a martyr because he was on pilgrimage to Jerusalem when murdered by his adopted sonWilliam of St-Thierry - Theologian and mystic (1085-1148)William the Conqueror - King of England and Duke of NormandyWilliamites - Name of two minor religious ordersWillibrord, Saint - Article on the Benedictine missionary and bishop, who died in 739Wimborne Minster - Monastery in Dorsetshire, EnglandWinckelmann, Johann Joachim - Archaeologist and historian of ancient art (1717-1768)Winding Sheet of Christ, Feast of the Holy - In 1206 one of the (supposed) Winding Sheets used at the burial of Christ was brought to Besancon by Otto de La Roche, and the feast of its arrival (Susceptio) was ordered to be kept on 11 JulyWindow, Rose - A circular window, with mullions and traceries generally radiating from the centre, and filled with stained glassesWindows in Church Architecture - A history of the use and form of windows in Christian houses of worshipWine, Altar - Wine is one of the two elements absolutely necessary for the sacrifice of the Eucharist. For valid and licit consecration vinum de vite, i.e. the pure juice of the grape naturally and properly fermented, is to be usedWinnebago Indians - A Siouan tribe closely related in speech to the Iowa, Missouri, and Oto, and more remotely to the Dakota and PoncaWinnoc, Saint - Early eighth-century Benedictine priorWisdom, Book of - One of the deutero-canonical writings of the Old Testament, placed in the Vulgate between the Canticle of Canticles and EcclesiasticusWisdom, Daughters of - Founded at Poitiers by Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort in 1703Wise Men (Magi) - The 'wise men from the East' who came to adore Jesus in Bethlehem (Matthew 2)Witchcraft - As commonly understood, involves the idea of a diabolical pact or at least an appeal to the intervention of the spirits of evilWitness - One who is present, bears testimony, furnishes evidence or proofWitt, Francis Xavier - Composer and reformer of church music (1834-1888)Wittenberg - City and UniversityWolfgang, Saint - Tenth-century Benedictine bishop of Ratisbon (Regensburg)Wolgemut, Michael - Painter and engraver (1434-1519)Wolsey, Thomas - Cardinal Archbishop of York (1471-1530)Woman - The position of woman in society has given rise to a discussion which, is known under the name of the 'woman question'Wood-Carving - Discusses the branch of wood-carving dealing with artistic objects, belonging either to plastic (as statues, crucifixes, and similar carvings), or to industrial art (as arabesques and rosettes), and which serve mainly for the ornamentation of cabinet workWoods, Julian Edmund Tenison - Priest and scientist (1832-1889)Words (in Canon Law) - Canonists give many rules for the exact acceptation of words, in order that decrees may be correctly understood and the extent of their obligation determinedWorld, Antiquity of the - Various attempts have been made to establish the age of the worldWormwood - Wormwood, known for its repulsive bitternessWörndle, Von, Family - Philip, Edmund, and AugustWorship, Christian - In its most general sense, homage paid to a person or a thingWounds, The Five Sacred - The revival of religious life and the zealous activity of St. Bernard and St. Francis in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, together with the enthusiasm of the Crusaders returning from the Holy Land, increased devotion to the Passion of Jesus Christ and particularly to practices in honour of the Wounds in His Sacred Hands, Feet, and SideWyche, Saint Richard de - The devoted companion of St. Edmund Rich, was bishop of Chichester. Richard died in 1253, and was canonized less than 10 years laterWyclif, John - Lengthy biographical article. Includes bibliography